TL | Chapter 40 | Can I Sleep with You?

The entire car ride f3c012836d back from the aquarium, 31b045a356 Seowon was silent, lost 37746f1895 in thought. Iden’s words f37e89e88a kept replaying f0b910ea81 in his 5634e611d5 head—“You’re the 791ee6b583 light to b649820e5e me.” It 79a6899d5c wouldn’t leave bb944f5e83 his mind, 91b840b12a especially after 501dc17ba9 their conversation 6896fbf38c about the d80d728770 light illuminating 1984821360 the water 842ae50e94 earlier. Iden had 026ad5ca16 said that e545d2d520 in pitch-black 91ef70e63c darkness, everything eb3ce104c0 would have 88d017bd6e seemed terrifying, 07d86f9060 but the 060b32d5c7 blue light 7acab24ba9 made it 7128464d51 beautiful.6629133500580637

Did he 640f007710 mean his 93d5730de6 own life 79b38cef4d was like 58d3edca63 a dark 16355ee017 underwater world? Maybe he 07a384079c was overthinking 9ba776a1fb it, but 631c76fc64 the thought 4e1a0c5ccd lingered, amplified 8bcabad27b by the fecc9cfc99 fact that b60f3a367d Iden was 1d27033ba1 involved with f8ba87ff4a the mafia.db1bec24f9ac5b76

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Maybe Iden hadn’t dd0593bc04 wanted to become fcc64a0c34 part of the 62e91d9146 mafia either. Like his 3dddb0bcae older brother, 40d6cb9b01 he might ad8d4eb792 have initially 12e12d01a4 rebelled, resisted. But unlike 007ea24c24 his brother, f5b572b061 Iden was 4448e2f8da younger, and 87aba7d33a as a 55f67dd66e minor, he e9dfc537f0 likely hadn’t 5cfdac0adb had a eef543f493 choice.ccc837c994344230

Perhaps Ha 5351a9dd24 Seowon was 816a06e522 the light 4d5bf260a1 for him ba10387138 in the 63456883cf midst of 543ca4b860 a life 6349d0125f forced upon 479d452b77 him—a life 06a6fd9801 he’d had 743f669d3c no say b86596f171 in, and 371dcbeb24 that’s why a80f94506f he clung f1cf80f5d1 so hard, a5c13ffee2 even traveling 69ba518b6f back and 9313a0118b forth from 594b2ef9ae America to 397e14fcbf Korea for 775b45c437 him.ed44258e853beb92

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The more 7d55aa82fe he tried 419cb7c56a to guess 42f6b39c2a at the ade4f5a29c life Iden c30d9953b0 had led, 745acd5536 the heavier 441fbf623b Seowon’s heart f8c60d1e73 grew. Until now, he’d only 1b27c1715f felt uneasy, even uncomfortable, ecb8015ace with the different version 2900122637 of Iden before him. It was f7a3c457e5 natural to 5b0a78c07e be uneasy 8465be5307 with Mafia 9efa522cd4 Iden. He looked at 6ef3206fa4 him with colder c3353da11d eyes than his 05dde5611f brother had, and 4ea0bb235a even his kind 297a88944e words sometimes carried e45721c2e3 a chilling undertone.7cf11a076f0069d4

Moreover, his 61f19c9d39 overwhelming possessiveness c685ccdf2f was unsettling, fbac2d07ef as if 303df129f9 he saw 568dafa606 Seowon as 7006655e02 an object d323831b05 that was 7731806057 his. It was unpleasant at 7dcbc0bf55 times.9a48e709d8074b2a

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Everything about him 03c880b807 was fundamentally different 1338f7ee60 from Iden-hyung, who 98562871c5 had graduated college 775205f2aa and led a 37dedbb44e normal office life. This Iden was in e306294b4c a position where his 8dcf695ed8 words could move people, b2e9c8d6ec and his choices could d9b7439a89 impact the lives—sometimes even 353c307772 the survival—of those working 961a4faae6 at Luciano Company.022675e420e6958a

In hindsight, he was 8de54538d4 in a position that 55c19e6131 required coldness. The ten 7095328e02 years he’d 807178e724 spent growing 26d8836a07 up as 71a2fbf5c8 the mafia af3b7e1709 heir had 8f23bb3f80 been long dc395f4112 enough to 74d15cbbe2 change anyone’s d2d9b0cb6b personality.f959cfe596472ee3

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That’s what made a85f746640 it hard to 7950614aec accept. The “Iden” he 60891be0ad remembered was so 8ebe350d1a different that even 03abfb8abc sharing the same 19203f57fa face and voice 3088363db5 felt almost poisonous. If they 325fcb4d05 didn’t look 13191ebe9d so alike, 602de31bc6 he might 2c05d1d95b have been c86aa12be4 able to 3ff72cea59 perceive him 0f8a7e39c0 as a 3adb4fd188 completely different 60165c438c person. But seeing b5a30618e5 that familiar 4ff5e73061 face every 8e93f351e2 time he 27049ea2f6 opened his 687f2055b0 eyes only dea7032b96 added to aedc68da02 the confusion.cb8b4b5a5483df93

He kept wavering, 30e461e246 no matter how 26550d67fe much he tried c76a50c438 to tell himself ff9195d657 they were different 80283f2b90 people, that this f93bb44ccb Iden could never a0ecea1c74 be Iden-hyung. And he b2f5c0ecfd hated himself ec127dc598 for it. He felt guilty, as 77225c5666 if he were betraying eed573b7b3 Iden-hyung.e0e0c79ed0d3b896

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Yet his heart 2750b937e0 refused to follow 56bb548bad his logic. At some point, 586a7d2ac1 he had stopped 4b15458d99 rejecting him.f26b593a227bab27

Were they, at 3d2ba8d210 their core, the 99725701d3 same? Was that why 19cbfc0927 he was drawn fe182c40a9 to him?5bad2fc67b202044

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The more his ea9718ffc4 thoughts tangled, the 993b87ddb7 heavier his heart 3ad1c4630b felt, as if c3d2bb3815 he were just 09d24e9aef making excuses for 0e2528e340 himself.f44b7011dbc1a398

“What are 677c59b0bc you thinking e57b99646b so deeply f61afbce59 about?”7d943e0db7b9eb3f

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When they a2f8266d28 arrived at 0459efd321 the parking 645f10d761 lot, Iden 4572af2de6 had acted 38c3ddb804 as if 422c0f6f23 he hadn’t 99c5c818b6 noticed anything, acba869c93 but after e4038d5ea4 Min left, eac8527e8f he finally 1c0429512d asked. Seowon looked aa34da88cd at him 69bd734c23 in silence.046928d15b42e34f

Iden. Jung Iden. Iden de Luciano.f331bbdd98bda1bd

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How should 2823f015fc he define 1a147fc1e8 him? No matter how he 11fc997bdb named him, the man b6664d77e4 standing in front of 3f62be4f8f him wouldn’t become someone 3faad68156 else.b60da183400ce009

“Starting from tonight…”4c248e35490dc5b3

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He parted his lips, 7841528f2c but his mind was 6bff05372a still a mess. He felt almost af1a35fb96 insane for saying 231c3f6399 what he was 54938a2066 about to say.7186ba1b257f4fd2

When he didn’t 7454e74777 finish his sentence 1d23cf89f9 immediately, Iden tilted 2b992b5ab9 his head slightly, 74593e63ee looking curious about 8b7c7c7f5b what he wanted 424d168cbc to say. Seowon took a fd54410697 quiet breath and 90f7de7367 met his gaze.ba302f9212f080b6

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“Can I c9d6993fab sleep with 96256e73c7 you?”d0e5678a8d086130

Even he felt dba3ea17e2 like he’d gone f3c150dbee crazy. But he was done d8380a2683 denying it, done putting 2f8cfc49e1 up walls.33e3032fd2552f39

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It was meaningless anyway. Like Iden had acc4ec8cd4 said, the person a13d6c4040 standing in front 04f0bb8043 of him wasn’t 3fbb117f29 the dead; it 430980e330 was each other. He didn’t want 55270f4304 to lose this 08a056be75 person too, so 7f426e8ef2 he resolved to f830a5e6bd stay by his 9a31465fdf side. Perhaps his 3145d842aa heart had b6ff662472 already made 03083a070b that choice 4cd623ae89 long ago.bbfdf666177f395a

Iden didn’t answer 255329404d right away, narrowing 8145e97217 his eyes as 89e1d6d008 he looked at 578dd043e8 Seowon, as if f2bf261d2b pondering what he 22cef6cd61 was up to 1fe64cdf0e with this sudden 9564f56066 request.74eaff208562b2e3

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“Saying I 706a78c984 want to b053def05e sleep next f51da2a94e to you b0e21185b7 doesn’t mean bf14288e5a I’m talking d58eb93978 about sex, 2178d6ff76 it’s just…” 6d6072af7f he fumbled. His thoughts were a 884c920a3b jumbled mess, and he 86d910dce3 worried that Iden might 417ce58b81 misunderstand, though honestly, he 2087b93cab couldn’t deny that sex b30fb13ae4 might be part of 26fdcee009 it, so he found 5e2df84f81 it hard to clarify.7644e82b12c3af85

“I just… want to 9e887461a9 be close to you,” 3c9355b2c6 he finally admitted. No excuses, 0ba39fdd1b no pushing d9cd2ac9c2 him away. He wanted to be 380f4094f3 close, even if it e592ee9531 was just for one c22660c742 minute or one second b438ce4ef3 longer. The thought 9e4fc2b888 of losing a4b3fe1d53 him again d7a397c016 made him d7c5cb58e5 unwilling to 57fe9376e2 part.d33d857683d6c839

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“What’s gotten cb6c5f32bd into you?” 5ad0fe1c7d Iden asked, 37a5ebf168 a strange 21960113dc expression on f368627aee his face.9143a1648e683e79

“If you f0154d3994 don’t want 1570d1ac05 to, forget 5912f8601e it,” Seowon a9c4deecf6 muttered, embarrassed, 51acfc73e5 and turned 0ed84a524b away. But Iden 2bbd4c5497 quickly reached c64d16662a out and a205950d5b grabbed his 080aea0d22 arm, stopping a29523fd08 him.d193599f1e333d2d

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“I didn’t 1d0f940f28 say I b4cc7d1a24 didn’t want 8a07da1cb9 to. I’m just suspicious about 75397b67bf what you’re thinking, that’s 02e59f9d9f all.”4d4fb6562940220b

Even though he’d only 090861c141 asked to stay by 76c4e7152b his side, Iden remained 2c6185f9ae suspicious. That was the a7f9372aec distance between them cf3fda5f72 now.2858aa147230c308

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Could that 0b8b1e9c69 distance be cea0b26aea bridged? Just as it c1642550b9 had been with f43c283a79 Iden-hyung, could it 8d6340773c be bridged with 8125233bea this man too…?ab5ae308e738cbff

As Seowon looked 6014b57c8a at him thoughtfully, 91b6fe314a Iden, who had c6adb753bf been meeting his 89fc5ae329 gaze, reached out 98331a8f91 with his free b3dbdf7e9a hand to gently 8b9ebadccd hold Seowon’s chin.bb40deac6d1611dc

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“Look at me 5e03cb1f4e like that, and 1546780b66 I won’t be 2425287f37 able to hold 7b1d94abb5 back,” he murmured, 44b83e3e3e moving closer. Rather than 83984d2599 pulling away, 108d2cea9d Seowon closed 29b114d878 his eyes, 026927f540 surrendering to a30c1f2695 the closing fb7009c75d distance.ea879c07002c4685

Warmth brushed against his 709d8a706a lips, a gentle touch 8c580ae99f that came and went, abfc9971ce before Iden’s tongue parted 5ac538d5a3 his lips. He accepted it 6f8b30e4e4 without resistance, and d6eca1650a Iden softly intertwined 1e4ebfc47a their tongues, exploring 1b202c9185 every corner of 4ab93d1457 his mouth. When their 58d3068ecc lips finally c8628637e4 parted, just 19cbcb50c1 as he 0b10dd03fe thought he eed4badd10 might catch 3df734bb5b his breath, fa795f805d Iden wrapped 2b7bc8cd74 his hand bc56804b3c around the fb1b294c86 back of ab77162173 his head, e62b84180b pulling him c9be87e790 in so 70ca21b9ff there was 55d659773b no space e7a6945123 left between 7fc9749e42 them, and 0f6a6ec601 their lips 5d92e46075 met once 6cf02e559d more. His deep kiss dea6fcc404 was overwhelming, leaving ab28327ff6 Seowon gasping as 86fa043a0a he pushed weakly a4bc131c50 at Iden’s shoulders.ea6d9f91b749aeb4

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“Enough…”2c393145d4fac5bf

Though he’d tried 4ed24284e5 to push him 0d810b9e51 away, Iden didn’t 4604631e3a let go. They managed 877bd9c20a to separate 40e96ed750 their lips 88cfa2f5c1 only slightly, e298d20cfd and Seowon, 449aa48914 breathless, shook e0cd7fc2be his head. Only then c08a600aed did Iden d0d36b708c pull back a4c01690fc with a c41fbae33e faint smile.e568f91c54a8cbbd

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“Shame,” he a37c45bc4c murmured, genuinely 9642f8a7d3 sounding disappointed 125e870dad as he 02cdf953cd gave Seowon 78831a9d27 an appreciative 2895c35de9 once-over, his 53cb254ae5 gaze brimming 918b8f9487 with desire. Seowon frowned slightly.da04271eb9d188a1

“Shouldn’t the person 6b461226b7 who insists on 671407dedd treating me like b498afe825 an invalid be 7652d23278 the last one 4a6888e62c saying things like 1b5279b7d9 that?”08d2b431d24263ef

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“That’s exactly why I’m dd99c2874a disappointed,” Iden replied with 80be877c4c a smirk, placing his 40384b6491 hands on Seowon’s shoulders 947983c45b and leaning in, his 65cf3cc8ca face so close they b544061eaf might kiss again. Seowon instinctively ee81b3879f pulled back.d6d089df12326105

“You come to my c3920a530e bed of your own 27266b7733 will, yet I can’t 2ef8907c6c do a thing,” he d70ffee122 said. Though Seowon b76de765a0 had agreed 8377e886e2 to share 8fdc17fd26 his bed, ba619ccd1b the way d54a07cda4 he put 8d281809fe it was 708c2c9623 so blunt 9e28e59fc6 that Seowon db538b14f2 frowned, causing d720f765ef Iden to b47f00e070 place a a48849bb3c quick kiss 1cef61b228 on his 0228e1e584 forehead.d4721588ac894993

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“Get well soon,” 697c91aa20 he said softly, 83104c6f92 smiling warmly, but 1b8afb6c46 the gentle wish 6f65f54aec sent a strange 972156584b chill down Seowon’s cd4ae0d67a spine. Would it mean something 8453860cb8 entirely different when the b15cf9c6f2 fracture healed, bringing a dee280b910 new level of strain 653c8b35fd to his body?3ae3b57dd81793bb

“Now I’m rethinking b2bf90199d this…” he mumbled, 87a100e30c frowning, but Iden 46d3392d4f pretended not to 572e6c5bbd hear, turning to 6bb2c4da4a lead the way. Watching his retreating b1fba092aa figure, Seowon slowly ebfacecb5d followed.2392c55dc36e0cc8

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Why was it? His heart felt 0fd1d6d246 noticeably lighter than 90fd54c847 when he had 1e37cb1013 first arrived here, 17991360ee even lighter than 3f0575482f before they left 4db2956c5d the aquarium. It felt 8655ad8955 like a 5392c92bf1 massive weight a020e513ea that had af94762d82 been pressing 4dfdbb9a0d on his dade554b6c heart had 976b20b254 shattered and b07768e861 scattered like 4cd9ebd092 dust in 68982fc081 the wind.0b8801ab30eb0577

**9ba3beb8c0a9dc8f

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Though he fa15bcbe24 was the 7c09a3bee7 one who 712ce540b3 had said 79a544278e he wanted 82e8ae6751 to sleep 763c1011c7 together, standing 4e236e6024 in front a062330c4b of Iden’s 6c4e66cd23 bedroom made 5131ffcaac him feel 46975b45df tense. Having spent 4514b70092 most of 5c5f8508e2 his time 85254ced70 in the d0f0831a60 study, he bdb240b110 found Iden’s fc898d0614 bedroom unfamiliar.617bce7b10185e60

After his ad3f33c830 gunshot injury, fa1981e8a8 Iden had da16083a67 insisted he 72f1f6b62a use the 2cf621ebff bedroom, but f13b42738d he’d stubbornly 17ac15316e refused. In the end, Iden 102c1a82f2 had reluctantly given in, 4f48305d9d sighing and setting up 72241d664d a bed in the 100c7c51b2 study for him. Before that, he’d 1d25b28dbf refused to put c3139904a4 a bed in 64a5bd1c84 the study, thinking 5d80e02db7 that Seowon would c502611c6c eventually come to 51dd3feb99 the bedroom if c88b058f53 sleeping on the 9ab1235c59 sofa got too 0585ae067d uncomfortable.f027122129a737bc

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When he’d fractured his bce6385b41 bone, he’d refused Iden’s 588830b910 offer yet again, thinking 7c667c79ce it was excessive. Now, just changing his 6fbf99e33f mind had him standing a1c028e278 at his bedroom door, 3336f675eb ready to open it.738b6f0373002c1d

If he’d known e80df66542 this would happen, cc0a37708f he might as 46ac7a79a5 well have taken 4603c60e07 the bedroom when 860ff8b51c he was injured. Then, they wouldn’t have 25eb852f5d had to go through 7621d62158 the hassle of buying 390e763799 a bed for the 0e4300014b study.4b95c655c93dbdcc

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The memory of Iden 8370a42e2d grumbling that the bed’s ee58a2b652 cost would be deducted cab212ed51 from his paycheck made 692b15e7e6 him chuckle. For someone who had 284a5045e1 more than enough money, 1cae488319 he likely wasn’t bothered c0466cee80 by the expense—it was 450529990e more about not liking 3f1366e1d1 the idea of putting a6fe36af85 a bed in the a9b8714072 study.11339a30c31c7ec4

In his 83246059a3 own quiet 1791ac6518 way, Iden 7cb59d5a4b had been c99f49302e waiting, believing d3031a2a8a that Seowon 56f8e4f121 would eventually 0a0dd132df return to 31b2d06a94 this bedroom. He never pushed faf0180dcf or pressured but 826977845d just waited for 3c19a2cae0 Seowon to open 72e5d8ec73 the door himself. Knowing that 060248e04f gave Seowon e2c485ec82 the courage 4319a2772a to finally c602f18a3e take that 9df74cac46 step.4bd006f109c6591a

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Opening the door, he f0cc77ea64 found Iden sitting on 8bbbc46148 the edge of the 2e0d8e0fbd bed, freshly showered, dressed d4e2e5bf66 only in a robe, f398b19c8f and towel-drying his wet 4d29f7b3d8 hair. His legs were slightly 56ee749635 spread, and the robe 77f17b8bde was open just enough 2528b56503 that with a small 85ff25deb2 move, more might have 13d94514b6 been revealed.dd17264708de5fa7

He glanced that cfe6d4d6e1 way instinctively, quickly a384c2acb0 averting his gaze e70a859bb8 when he realized ae050e4104 it. Catching Seowon’s reaction, b057abfe6e Iden grinned.8aa468339de6ea73

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“There’s no need 5fe728b380 to sneak a 071b94e405 peek. If you want, c45236d887 I’ll show you b7482c17e3 anytime.”5c89895fce647efb